Global issues are part of children's lives in ways that are very different from when we were children. Television, the Internet, international sport and increased opportunities for travel all bring the wider world into everyone's daily life. Our society today is enhanced by people, cultures, languages, religions, art, technologies, music and literature originating in many different parts of the world.

By including the global dimension in our curriculum, links can easily be made between local and global issues, from climate change to poverty, pollution to fair trade, so that children can:

• appreciate the similarities between peoples everywhere, and learn to value diversity
• understand the global context of their local lives.
• develop skills that will enable them to combat injustice, prejudice and discrimination.

At Cookridge Primary School we believe that education plays a vital role in helping children recognise their responsibilities as citizens of the global community.

Since 2000, a partnership has existed between Cookridge Primary School and Hillview Primary School in Durban, South Africa. During this time we have experienced a professional sharing of ideas and resources for our mutual benefit. Children have become penpals, fundraising events have been organised and in February 2007, four of our teachers were lucky enough to visit our partnership school in South Africa.

The ability to understand and communicate in other languages is increasingly important in our society and the global economy. Languages contribute to the cultural and linguistic richness of our society, to personal fulfilment, mutual understanding, commercial success and international trade and global citizenship.

Because we believe in providing an opportunity for early language development in order to harness children's learning potential we teach Spanish to all children. In Reception and Key Stage 1 we provide plenty of opportunities for the children to listen, speak and interact orally, listening to the teacher, to songs and rhymes, to each other, to native speakers, to recorded and on-line speech and songs and to recognise familiar and unfamiliar sounds. In Key Stage 2, oracy skills are extended to engaging in conversations to obtain and provide information and exchange opinions and giving presentations to an audience.

Children at Cookridge Primary School benefit from regular visits from specialist teachers, Spanish language assistants and artists such as salsa percussionists and dancers.